Plateau CP woos residents to tackle insecurity

The Commissioner of Police (CP) in Plateau State, Bartholomew Onyeka, has said the ability to effectively police the state is dependent on mutual trust with residents.

The CP said this while delivering a key note address at a one-day retreat for human rights stakeholders organised by the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) in Jos yesterday.

He said, “As attractive as the concepts of intelligence-led policing or technology-driven policing could be, the reality remains that no police agency either in the advanced or developing climes can succeed in its mandate without the consent, support and trust of the citizens they are engaged to serve and protect regardless of how well equipped, trained or motivated they may be.

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“The point being emphasised here is that police legitimacy draws from public consent and trust, and the lack of effective partnership between the police and the public can only sustain ineffective policing and engender insecurity within the community.

“Generally speaking, the security situation across Plateau State has been relatively stabiliSed. The reality is that the current concerted operations of the police and other security agencies in the state have engendered a dispersal and relocation of some of the criminals out of the state.”

Earlier in a welcome address, Chairman of the event, Dr Theophilus Danjuma, said the retreat was meant to seek ways to improve on human rights protection and community access to justice in the country.